In a continuing effort to improve the quality of shipping fruits, we, the inventors, typically hybridize a large number of nectarine, peach, plum, apricot, and cherry seedlings each year. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of nectarine tree, which has been denominated varietally as "Summer Fire". The present variety was hybridized by us in 1983, and the resulting seedling was planted in a cultivated area of our experimental orchard at Bradford Farms near Le Grand, Calif. in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley). Specifically, the hybridized seedling was orginated by using Red Diamond (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,165) as the selected seed parent and an unnamed seedling as the selected pollen parent. Subsequent to origination of the present variety of nectarine tree, we asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting, and such reproduction of plant and fruit characteristics were true to the original plant in all respects.
The present variety most nearly resembles the Summer Bright (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,049) by producing fruit that is nearly full red in skin color at maturity, clingstone in type, and extremely firm in texture, but is distinguished therefrom and an improvement thereon by producing fruit that is somewhat larger in size and that ripens nine days later.
The present variety is similar to its selected seed parent, Red Diamond (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,165), in fruit appearance by being a full red colored nectarine with excellent firmness, but is distinguished therefrom by ripening twenty-seven days later and by being a clingstone instead of a freestone.